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Obama Sets Fuel Efficiency at 54.5 MPG by 2025: Jobs and Oysters!

Last updated on 2014.12.22

Sierra Club exec Michael Brune digs President Barack Obama's newly announced auto fuel efficiency standard. 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025?! Holy cow, so do I! Even the Prius will have to work harder to meet that ambitious goal.

Gripe and moan about the cost of the new fuel-saving technology it will take to make this happen. Brune notes that even with such costs, drivers will save $8000 over the lifetime of their new gas-sippers. (Of course, DeLorean should render this calculation moot in three years, when the electric model 8.0 should come standard with Mr. Fusion.)

The captains of automotive industry support President Obama's fuel efficiency goal (except for Daimler and Volkswagen? Come on, VW: don't make me trade in my Bug!) The United Autoworkers cheer the standard, too, saying it will create 570,000 jobs by 2030. Heck, that's probably 569,000 more permanent jobs than we would get from the Keystone XL pipeline... which the UAW sensibly opposed.

Speaking of Keystone XL, that pipeline is suppose to deliver 900,000 barrels of Canadian tar sands oil across the American prairie each day. Its predecessing pipeline, Keystone 1, hauls something like 500,000 barrels a day of that toxic sludge through our heartland. That's 1.4 million barrels a day.

President Barack Obama's fuel efficiency standards will save Americans 3.1 million barrels of oil per day. We could shut off Keystone 1 and cancel Keystone XL twice. Or we could just stop importing any oil from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iraq, Russia, and Kuwait.

Now what's that you're saying tonight, Republicans, about the need for "courage" and "bold" policies? Better fuel efficiency sure doesn't seem like a way that President Obama is "holding us back." Mitt Romney wants to hold us back from this progress. Making America stronger and safer through smarter technology isn't "lost hope"; it is America's story of dreaming big and saying, "Yes We Can!"

Oh yeah: and less carbon emissions means less ocean acidification, which means more oysters. President Obama has something for everyone.

14 Comments

  1. Stan Gibilisco 2012.08.28

    Based on what I've heard, the additional cost of implementing the 54.5-mpg technology would be more than offset by the fuel savings over the life of the vehicle.

    And they're probably underestimating what gasoline will cost by 2025.

    So we win on all fronts.

    I love oysters.

  2. Dougal 2012.08.28

    Ditto dude. Love the oysters, And the low mpgs.

  3. larry kurtz 2012.08.29

    GOP Governors: Obama Is Killing The Economy — Except In My State! RT ‏@joshtpm

  4. larry kurtz 2012.08.29

    Conservatives like "RJ/PP" have a white choice: Gary Johnson is a Libertarian. A side by side comparison with President Obama is posted here.

  5. Ben Davidson 2012.08.29

    Glad to see you all support central economic planning in the form of more government mandates. That's always worked out so well in countries that have tried it, right ?

    I would suggest that we ask ourselves a few honest questions about these mileage mandates and some of the possible consequences that may result from their implementation:

    1) Will these mandates make it MORE or LESS likely that cars will be made with lighter weight composite materials that make those vehicles even less safe in the case of an accidents ?

    2) Will these mileage mandates result in the bringing to market of MORE failed/dangerous models like the ill-fated Chevy Volt that very few consumers even want to buy ? Or are the mandates likely to bring about LESS failed or unsafe models ?

    3) Will the increased mileage mandates make it MORE or LESS likely that additional auto manufacturing jobs will be outsourced to foreign countries in order to keep the cost of these vehicles affordable for the average American ?

  6. larry kurtz 2012.08.29

    ben dover: julie by any other name.

    Matt Varilek should embrace cap and trade just as John McCain did when the GOP was less nuts.

  7. Eve Fisher 2012.08.29

    Meanwhile, Romney is promising energy independence by 2020.
    (1) Excuse me while I try to quit laughing. This reminds me of Newt's promise to get gas down to $2.50 a gallon if he became president - I wrote him a letter saying, if you really have that much power, do it now and I'll vote for you.
    (2) Since we're already tapping 70% of our energy reserves (oil and gas), there's only one way to do it - rationing and lying. Rationing how much oil and gas and natural gas we each get to use (undoubtedly via price, so no one is handed any pesky ration cards), and lying about where it comes from (what do you mean where did I get the oil for my yacht?). And I have a feeling that Romney is just the man to do both.

  8. Ben Davidson 2012.08.29

    Thanks Larry.

    Your mindless response is about what I expected.

    You just automatically assume you have all the answers and aren't even willing to address some of the possible unintended consequences of government imposed mandates and regulation-- which include possible outsourcing of manufacturing jobs during a time when our country can ill afford any further loss of employment.

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